32 Teams in 32 Days: New York Jets

Key Additions

Josh McCown: Acquired in this year’s free agency from the Cleveland Browns, McCown has the chance to be the starting quarterback for the Jets. Although he’s a below average game manager and won’t be a bona fide starting quarterback, he brings a veteran presence for the Jets’ young quarterbacks in Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. McCown could be a place holder until they draft someone in next year’s draft.

Jamal Adams: Taken with the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, safety Jamal Adams is set to be the leader of this defense for years to come. Adams’ leadership ability, athletic ability and football IQ gives him the opportunity to quickly become one of the best safeties in the NFL.

Morris Claiborne: Taken in this year’s free agency from the Dallas Cowboys, cornerback Morris Claiborne has been inconsistent throughout his career thus far, but had a solid year last season and could trend upward this upcoming season. Claiborne is set to be the Jets’ number one corner with Darrelle Revis being released.

The Offense

The offense is a disaster.

When you’re considering starting Christian Hackenberg at QB, that’s an issue. Matt Forte is old and won’t be able to produce like he used to. The number one receiver is Robby Anderson since Quincy Enunwa is out for the season. Yikes.

The tight ends consist of the suspension-prone Austin Seferian-Jenkins and rookie Jordan Leggett. The offensive line is poor, as their best player is left guard James Carpenter.

The Jets’ offense is by far the worst in football and needs a massive overhaul next offseason.

The Defense

The defense is lightyears better than the offense, but it has its issues.

The defensive line is a top 10 unit granted players like Sheldon Richardson have a bit of a resurgence in 2017. The defensive line includes Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson and Steve McClendon. That’s about the only positive aspect of this football team.

The linebacking corps is one of the worst in football. Second year player Darron Lee didn’t play great last season, and there’s no one else in this linebacking corps that played very well last season. Lorenzo Mauldin hasn’t lived up to his impressive rookie campaign and Jordan Jenkins is mediocre at best, making this an abysmal unit.

The secondary has talent but is very young. Safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye could make a formidable duo, but their youth will trigger some rookie mistakes. Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Buster Skrine are a below average duo and likely won’t exceed expectations.

Team Schedule and Season Outlook

Best Case Scenario: (3-13)

This is going to be a long season for the Jets. Their schedule is relatively difficult and their team is extraordinarily terrible. If they do win 3 games, games against bottom tier teams like Cleveland, Jacksonville or even Buffalo.

The defensive line will have to be a top 5 unit and thus make the entire defense better if they win 3 games or more.

Worst Case Scenario: (0-16)

Unfortunately for Jets fans, this is an entirely possible scenario. Every opponent is better than them on paper and they’ll need to plan very well in order to beat any of their opponents.

My Predictions

Week 1: @ Buffalo

Result: L (0-1)

Week 2: @ Oakland

Result: L (0-2)

Week 3: vs. Miami

Result: L (0-3)

Week 4: vs. Jacksonville

Result: L (0-4)

Week 5: @ Cleveland

Result: L (0-5)

Week 6: vs. New England

Result: L (0-6)

Week 7: @ Miami

Result: L (0-7)

Week 8: vs. Atlanta

Result: L (0-8)

Week 9: vs. Buffalo

Result: L (0-9)

Week 10: @ Tampa Bay

Result: L (0-10)

Week 11: Bye Week

Week 12: vs. Carolina

Result: L (0-11)

Week 13: vs. Kansas City

Result: L (0-12)

Week 14: @ Denver

Result: L (0-13)

Week 15: @ New Orleans

Result: L (0-14)

Week 16: @ LA Chargers

Result: W (1-14)

Week 17: @ New England

Result: L (1-15)

In conclusion, the Jets are awful. There’s no way else to say it, and I sympathize with Jets fans. On the plus side, they’ll have a top 3 pick in next year’s draft and there’s some intriguing quarterbacks in the 2018 NFL Draft.